Antidepressant linked to suicide attempts
A new study has added Seroxat to the list of antidepressants linked to an increase in suicidal tendencies in adults with depression.
Researchers from the University of Oslo analysed 16 previous studies of people taking either the drug, which is also known as paroxetine, or a dummy pill.
Warnings have previously been issued by experts concerned that paroxetine should not be prescribed to young people because of an increased risk of self-harm.
Dr Aursnes’s and his team write in BMC Medicine: “The increased suicidal activity seen in children and adolescents on certain antidepressant drugs may well be present in adults.
“The restrictions in the use of paroxetine in children and adolescents conveyed by regulatory agencies lately should include usage in adults,” they advise.
An estimated 20 million people around the world take Seroxat. Like Prozac, it is one of a group of antidepressants called SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors).
